Photo by Jessica Leibowitz

Turkey burgers are a healthy alternative to beef but unfortunately they tend to have the texture of sawdust because they’re so lean. I have figured out a way to correct that problem by adding fresh vegetables to the ground turkey and fresh salsa as a topping.

For the salsa:
12 cherry tomatoes
½ teaspoon kosher salt
garlic clove
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
½ cup cooked fresh corn or thawed frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the burgers:
1 small onion
½ small red bell pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon store bought or homemade Creole Seasoning (recipe below)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound ground turkey
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

 Make the salsa: Finely chop the cherry tomatoes, toss them with the salt and drain in a colander for 15 minutes. Mince the garlic (about 1 teaspoon) and chop the cilantro (about 1 tablespoon). Combine the tomatoes, corn, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss well.

Prepare the burgers: Preheat the oven to 400°f. Finely chop the onion (about ½ cup) and the pepper (about 1/3 cup). Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook about 5 minutes or until softened. Cool to room temperature.

Combine the onion, pepper, Creole seasoning, salt and turkey in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Mix well and form into 4 patties. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the burgers to the skillet and cook until well browned about 5 minutes a side. Transfer to the oven and cook until firm to the touch, about 6 minutes. Serve topped with the salsa.

Creole Seasoning

Combine 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon hot paprika, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder, 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne, 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano and 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme. Makes about ½ cup .